Bending-machine.



F. T. ROOT & G. A. ENSIGN.

BENDING MACHINE.

APPLIUATION FILED mms. 1912.

1,050,695. Patented Jan.14,1913.

4 SHEETS-SHEET l.

coLUmmA PLANQGRAI'H cn., WASHINGTON, D. c.

F. T. ROOT & G. A. ENSIGN.

' BENDING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE e, 1912.

1,050,695. Patented Jan. 14,1913.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

y ,n George A. Ensign www ATTH/VEYS COLUMBIA PLANDGRAPH co..wAsH1NGTON. DA c.

F. T. ROOT 6r G. A. ENSIGN.

BENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNI: e, 1912.

A4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Patented Jan. 14, 1913.

P. T. ROOT Sz-G. A. ENSIGN. BBNDING MACHINE.

I' APPLICATION FILED JUNE 6, 1912. 1,050,695. Patented .12111111913 4 suus-SHEET 4.

WITNESSES /NVENT 0H5 WM/@ 62:5. e 15x13" ATTHNEYS coLuMBM PLANOURAPH C0.. WASHINGTON. D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK T. ROOT, OF YORK, PENNSYLVANIA, AND GEORGE A. ENSIGN, OF DEFIANCE, OHIO, ASSIGNORS TO DEFIANCE MACHINE WORKS, OF DEFIANCE, OHIO.

BENDING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led June 6, 1912.

Patented Jan. 14, 1913.

serial No. 702,127.

To ali whom t may concern Be it known that we, FRANK T. ROOT and GEORGE A. ENSIGN, both citizens of the United States, and residents, respectively, of York, in the county of York and State of Pennsylvania, and of Defiance, in the county of Defiance and State of'Ohio, have invented a new and Improved BendingMachine, of which the following is a full, clear, and eXact description.

The invention relates to wood-bending machines, such, for instance, as shown and described in the Letters Patent of the United States, No. 603,926, granted to Charles Seymour, May l0, 1898.

The object of the present invention is to provideV a new and improved bending machine arranged to insure positive movement of the bending arms to cause the timber to snugly hug the form and thus Vproduce accurate bending of the timber. For the purpose mentioned use is made'of trucks mounted to travel and engaged by the ends of the bending arms, the trucks being yieldingly sustained to hold the bending arms firmly in contact with the timber during the bending operation.

A practical embodiment Of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure l is a front elevation of the bending machine; Fig. 2- is an enlarged sectional front elevation of part of the same; Fig. 3 is an inverted sectional plan view of the same on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. l is an enlarged sectional front elevation of the bending machine and showing one of the.

bending arms in bending position; and Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross section of the bending machine on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

The frame on which the bending machine is mounted consists of a base A and standards A erected on the said base, and on the standards A is mounted a form Baround which the timber C is bent by the use of depending arms D, D, and a master strap E overlying thesaid bending arms D, the lat-- ter also carrying head blocks F against which abut the ends of the timber C placed on top of the master strap E, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2.

The Outer ends of the bending arms D are connected with ropes, cables or chains G which extend upwardly and inwardly and pass over pulleys H journaled in the upper ends of the standards A, and the said chains Cr then wind on a drum I journaled on the standards A and driven by a suitable mech anism, not shown. When the drum I is rotated and the chains G are wound up thereon then an upward swinging motion is given to the bending arms D to bend the timber C varound the form B, as indicated in Fig. 4.

The inner ends of the bending arms D are yieldingly sustained by engaging rollers J journaled on transverse shafts J journaled in suitable bearings arranged on trucks K having truck wheels K mounted to travel longitudinally on a track K2 provided at its outer ends with lugs K3 resting on the floor or other support and mounted at the middle on a lug K4 held on or forming part of the ,base A. On each of the trucks K is pivoted the inner end of a rack L in mesh with a gear wheel L secured on a shaft L2 jour- `naled in the outer lugs K3, and on the outer `end of the shaft L2 are secured drumsL3 Ito which are secured ropes, cables or chains L4 extending rearwardly and connected with the outer ends of springs L5 secured at their inner ends to studs L(s projecting from the sides of the lugs K4, as plainly indicated in Figs. 1 to 5. When the bending arms D are swung upward by the act-ion of the chains G, as previously explained, the inner ends of the bending arms D bear against the rollers J and consequently cause the trucks K to travel outward away from each other and in doing so the racks L`carried by the trucks K rotate the gear wheels L and consequently the shaft L2 and the drums L3 to wind up the chains L4 thus placing the springs L5 under tension. It will be seen that by the arrangement described the yielding lugs K3 form an elastic or a retaining resistance for the bending arms D to exert a thrust against the said bending arms to insure a close hugging of the timber around the form B. When the timber has been bent around the form B itis secured in bent shape by suitable straps or shackles to permit of returning the bending arms D to their normal lowermost position shown in Fig. l, to allow of conveniently removing the bent timber from the forln and to proceed to bend a new batch of timber in the manner above described.

The bending arms D during the bending operation are urged upward to insure a close fitting of the timber around the form, and for this purpose the following arrangement is made: On the shaft J of each truck K is pivoted a rod N mounted to slide in a bearing N attached to the corresponding bending arm D, and on the outer end of the rod N is adjustably secured a cross bar N2 by the use of a set screwNs, as plainly shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4. To the ends of the cross bar N2 are secured springs N4 extending approximately parallel to the rod N on opposite sides thereof and connected at their inner ends to lugs N5 attached to the corresponding bending arm D near the inner end thereof. Thus by the arrangement described v the bending arm D is yieldingly supported from the corresponding truck K and is urged upward by the springs N4 during the bending operation to insure close hugging of the timber C on the form B. The fulcrum end of the hub of each rod N is provided with a lug N6 extending into a guide slot D formed in the corresponding bending arm D so as to hold the latter against lateral movement during the bending operation.

It is'understood that the weight of the bending arms D is taken up by the springs N4t at the time the bending arms approach a vertical position. The tension of the springs N4 is increased during the upward movement of the bending arms D and hence the bending arms D are urged upward to prevent bends in the timber outward from the form, especially as unsupported bending arms tend to iniuence the timber to leave the form on the quarters.

Having thus described our` invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A bending machine, comprising a form, bending arms mounted below the form, means connected with the outer ends of the arms for impart-ing a swinging motion to the same, a longitudinally-extending track, trucks mounted to travel on the said track and engaged by the inner ends of the said swinging arms to impart a traveling motion to the said trucks on imparting a swinging motion to the said bending arms, drums, spring-pressed chains winding on the said drums, and gearing connecting the said trucks with the said drums to rotate the latter at the time the trucks travel outward or inward on the said track.

2. A bending machine, comprisingaform, bending arms mounted below the form, means connected with the outer ends of the arms for imparting a swinging motion to the same, a longitudinally-extending track, trucks mounted to travel on the said track and engaged by the inner ends of the said swinging arms, racks on the said trucks, drums provided with gear wheels in mesh with the said racks, chains winding on the said drums, and springs fixed at one end and connected at the other end to the said chains.

3. A bending machine, comprising a form, bending arms, means connected with the outer ends of the said bending arms for imparting a swinging motion to t-he same, a longitudinally extending fixed track, yieldingly-sustained trucks mounted to travel on the said track and engaged by the inner ends of the said bending arms, and yielding supports carried by the said trucks and slidingly connected with the said bending arms to urge the latter upward at the time the said bending arms approach a vertical position.

4. A bending machine, comprising a form, bending arms, means` connected with the outer ends of the said bending arms for imparting a swinging motion to the same, yieldingly sustained trucks engaged by the inner ends of the said bending arms, rods pivoted on the said trucks and slidingly connected with the said bending arms, and springs connecting the said rods with the said bending arms to urge the latter upward during the bending operation.

5. A bending machine, comprising a form, bending arms, means connected with the o-uter ends of the said bending arms for imparting a swinging motion to the same, yieldingly-sustained trucks engaged-by the inner ends of the said bending arms, rods pivoted on the said trucks, bearings on the said bending arms and slidingly engaged by the said rods, and springs connecting the outer ends of the said rods with the said bending arms.

G. A bending machine,comprising a form, bending arms, actuating means connected with the outer ends of the said bending arms for imparting a swinging motion to the same, and overbalancing means connected with the said bending arms for urging the latter upward at the time the said bending arms approach a vertical position.

7. A bending machine, comprising a form, bending arms, means connected with the outer ends of the said arms for imparting a swinging motion to the same, and spring devices connected with the said bending arms and overbalancng the weight thereof to sustain the weight of the bending arms as the same approach a vertical position and to urge the bending arms upward.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK T. ROOT. GEORGE A. ENSIGN. Witnesses to the signature of Frank T. Root:

C. C. HOFFMAN, H. F. GERHE. Witnesses to the signature of George A. Ensign:

C. H. DEMMING, H. F. GERHE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, Dl C. 

